Home-Grown School Meals Programme Reaches 5.6 Million Learners Across Zambia
More than 5.6 million learners across Zambia are now benefiting from the Home-Grown School Meals Programme. Government is presenting school feeding as an investment in education, agriculture and national development.
President Hakainde Hichilema said school meals go beyond social protection. He said they build human capital and give local farmers a reliable market for their produce.
The President’s remarks were read on his behalf by Vice-President Mutale Nalumango at the official opening of the 2026 Global Child Nutrition Forum in Lusaka.
President Hichilema said Government was working to make school meals more nutritious through more varied menus, and to strengthen links between schools and local farmers.
He also called on international partners to bring additional resources, technology and innovation to protect school feeding programmes from climate-related shocks, so that no child is left behind.
Global Child Nutrition Foundation Executive Director Arlene Mitchell urged world leaders to put children’s nutrition first through sustained investment and deliberate policy decisions.
Ms Mitchell commended Zambia for its commitment to school feeding and for its ambition to reach nearly six million learners by the end of 2026.
She said the forum, which has brought together more than 400 delegates from over 60 countries, should turn shared experience into practical action that improves children’s lives.
Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska called for equal access to quality school meals. She said every child’s childhood must be protected, even in the most difficult circumstances.
Education Minister Harry Kamboni said Zambia was using the forum to showcase its Home-Grown School Meals Programme and to build international partnerships for sustainable and inclusive school feeding.
The forum places Zambia at the centre of global discussions on child nutrition, as the country works towards its target of nearly six million learners by the end of the year.